He was so caught up in his thoughts that most of the landscape went by without him really noticing, as they headed further into the central part of the island and its city. The Arrow never felt any closer, so what did it matter? Where he normally would have been curious, now he just felt tired and depressed. Florian was sure the city was utterly abandoned, all its citizens long dead, so what was the point in admiring its architecture? Any beauty the city might have had was long gone. Any trees or flowers that may have once decorated the stone walkways would have been obliterated into ash centuries ago.
They rounded a corner, and Florian walked straight into Kade, who had come to an abrupt stop just ahead of him.
“Ow—sorry,” he stammered, stumbling back. Kade helped steady him, then gestured up at what he had been looking at. Florian followed his gaze.
At what was likely the center of the island, a tall mountain rose up—though Florian was unsure if “mountain” was the right word to describe it. It was thin and spindly, like a spire or some other strange man-made object. No structures remained on its craggy heights, though with how narrow it was, Florian doubted it had ever housed anything at all. The rest of the city was built around it, sprawling like spokes of a wheel with the mountain at its center.
“How much do you want to bet it’s somewhere up there?” Koji asked, sounding dismayed.
It probablywasthere, Florian thought—it was so high above them that even though they had been drawing closer to the center of the city, it still wasn’t close enough for the latent magic in the air to feel any more noticeable. He groaned as soon as Koji said it, making the other two look at him with concern and curiosity.
“I bet itisup there,” Florian sighed, scrubbing a hand through his hair—it came away dusty and grimy, making him grimace. “I haven’t felt the magic get any stronger, even though we’ve been walking further into the city. If it’s up there, that would make sense, if we’re still not close enough for it to be any stronger yet.”
Kade looked dubiously up at the craggy spire.
“It’s possible,” he relented. “I don’t know that we’d be able to climb it, though. We’d probably have to fly. I think that’s what it was made for. I think I see... entrances inside the mountain, maybe. It’s hard to tell from this distance.”
Florian squinted, trying to make out what Kade was seeing. There were some points where the rocks looked a little flatter, like someone might have intentionally placed them there, but they were much too far to make out any sort of details.
“I don’t think I have it in me to shift again,” Florian sighed, shaking his head dejectedly. “Not while holding the shroud. Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize,” Kade said quickly.
“That’s fine,” Koji echoed. “I could use some rest too. Why don’t we find a building that still has all its walls and a roof and rest for the night?”
Kade looked around, scrutinizing the nearby buildings. “Nothing here looks good. Let’s keep heading closer to the city center. If we don’t find anything suitable in an hour or so, we’ll just set up the shelter normally.”
“I can make it an hour,” Florian agreed. Kade squeezed his shoulder encouragingly, and he made himself give what he hoped was a convincing smile. He was exhausted, but he told himself that he could hold the shroud together for another hour. He would have to.
“Let’s keep going, then,” Kade said, and they continued on the stone path.
It was nearing the forty-five minute mark, and Florian was feeling more and more despondent when they finally came across a cluster of stone homes that had held up decently well in the Blight. One near the middle seemed the least damaged from the wind and dust, so Kade led them toward it to have a better look.
The inside was one large central room with a few smaller adjoining rooms. In the center of the main room was a pit that looked like it may have once been a cooking station or a furnace. The stone floor was dusted with ash, though, and no furnishings remained. The inner rooms seemed a little more preserved—no ash on the floor, but the few pieces of furniture they found were blackened and withered, not at all suitable for use.
“This main room should be pretty easy to secure,” Kade said after they had inspected each of the rooms and found no signs of life. “We can block off those windows with some of our panels and reinforce the door. I think that should be good enough to keep the Blight out.”
“Let’s do it,” Florian agreed quickly, eager to let the shroud go so he could rest. They made quick work of it, Kade blocking out the door while Florian and Koji worked together to set layers of their thick canvas frames against the window, securing the cloth to make a tight seal.
The room seemed blessedly dim when they were done, and it gave them much more space to spread out than their makeshift shelter. Praying that it was enough, Florian tentatively pulled the shroud back from himself, exposing first just a fingertip, then all of his left hand. It felt warm, of course, but didn’t burn. He watched his skin carefully for a long moment, just to be certain, but it did not redden or blister.
“We’re good,” he said, dropping the shroud from himself first. The heat clung harder to him without the shade of his magic blocking it out, but the Blight was trapped outside. He let go of the rest of the shroud. Koji hissed in surprise as the heat pressed closer against him; but Kade, used to it now, didn’t even react as he began methodically setting up their sleeping bags.
Exhaustion flooded Florian the moment he released the shroud, and he bent over with a groan.
“Mine first,” he muttered as he stumbled toward Kade. All he could think of now was how badly he wanted to lie down.
“You need to eat first,” Kade said, shaking his head. “Then you can sleep.”
Florian groaned, but he knew Kade was right. Instead, he sat down right where he was on the dusty stone floor, closing his eyes to find what rest he could. He didn’t even feel hungry—just tired to the bone, all his muscles aching to lie down.
“Here.” Koji’s soft voice came from above him, and Florian opened his eyes to see the dragon shifter holding out a plate for him, the same food as yesterday.
“Thanks,” Florian said, though the words came out as more of a croak. He took the plate and mechanically began eating; but once he’d had a few bites, hunger started to kick in, and he was relieved to have the food.
The three of them ate in silence for a while, then Koji spoke again.
“I think I could carry both of you on my back tomorrow, if that would make it easier,” he said, glancing between the two of them. “I don’t want you to hurt yourself, Florian. Could you keep the shroud on us more easily if you weren’t shifted?”
